Interrogation at the FBI
by gwendolineB
Summary: After Jane killed Red John, the FBI questions the rest of the team. I suck at summaries, sorry... Rated T
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Mentalistas! We never saw on screen how the FBI questioned Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt. As you remember, Abbott said: "We will question each of you and if you did anything even remotely questionable, we will find out" etc. This fanfic describes the interrogations at the FBI. Set shortly after 6x8. I don't own The Mentalist and I don't make money with fanfictions. Please read and review!**

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**Interrogation at the FBI (chapter 1)**

Cho was the first in the interrogation room. It was weird to sit at the other side of the table and not being the one who could get a confession out of the suspect within 10 minutes.

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"Your name is Kimball Cho?"

"Yes."

"You have been in a gang and then in detention centre when you were a teenager?"

"Yes, Sir. That's right."

"So, why exactly did you decide to join the police?"

"After the juvenile centre, I didn't want to have anything to do with my old life and joined the army, special forces. Then I became a cop."

"We heard that you took part in several questionable stunts with Patrick Jane and even had an affair with a hooker who then became your CI."

Cho, usually so calm, burst out:"Summer isn't a hooker anymore and she quit that job when she was my CI!"

"Do you deny that you had an affair with Summer Edgecombe?"

"No, Sir."

"And are you aware that this relationship was against the CBI rules?"

"Yes, I knew."

"Did anybody else know about this relationship?"

_I can't betray them, they're my best friends and if I say that they knew about this...Do I have a choice? No. I have never lied to another cop, only once, but that was for Rigsby and he would lie for me, too._

"I repeat the question, Agent Cho. Did anybody-"

Cho didn't really listen to the FBI agent. His mind was torn between being honest and not wanting to betray his CBI-family._ I have to tell him, there's no way out..._

"Wayne Rigsby, Patrick Jane and Grace Van Pelt knew about it."

"Not your boss, Teresa Lisbon?"

"No Sir, she had no knowledge of this." _Lisbon never saw those things...but Jane always knows everything after one second..._

"Are you still in contact with Miss Edgecombe?"

"No, she married a guy called Marshall. I don't know his last name. But I can assure you that she isn't a working girl anymore."

"Does her husband know about her old life?"

"I don't know, Sir. But I don't think she told him."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I know her. She wants to be done with this life, and she was pregnant when I last saw her."

"I hope not from you?!"

"No, from her husband, but I don't see how that matters now..."

_I can't involve Summer in this...why does the FBI ask so many questions about her?_

"That's none of your business, we ask what we wanna ask."

"Alright."

"Like I said before, you and your team participated in most of Jane's not-always-by-the-book-actions. Why?"

_How can someone ask such a stupid question?! Only a bad cop or someone who really wants to analyze you..._

"I'm loyal, we are a team and we do everything to help each other."

"So you're willing to break the law for each of them?"

"Yes, Sir." he said without thinking. _Bad answer...what else could he ask to uncover that I do what I have to do and not always do what the law says?_

"Hm. Very informative. Back to that hooker girl..."

"Summer's not a hooker!"

"Yeah, right. Summer..."

"What?!"

"We heard that she still did drugs when you were a couple."

_Damn, I've got a problem..._

"Yes, she did. But I had nothing to do with this and I tried to get her away from the drugs!"

"What kind of drugs did she take?"

"Cocaine, but not very often."

"I don't care how often. The point is: you knew about her drug addiction and didn't report it."

"I didn't report it because I wanted to protect her. She's a good woman and now she's clean."

"Did you ever have a drug problem or any other addiction?"

_Let's be honest, Kimball..._

"I was addicted to painkiller pills for several months, but not anymore."

"Moreover, you are overprotective and tend to solve problems violently."

_Me? Violent? He exaggerates..._

"Excuse me?"

"You have beaten up a dealer for Summer and, long ago, you've beaten up someone in order to get a confession because you thought he murdered your best friend David San. Additionally, you and agent Rigsby started a brawl with some FBI agents in California."

"That's right Sir. But..."

"You don't deny it? I didn't expect that."

Cho was nervous, the great agent Cho, usually so self conscious, was nervous. Why did this guy have to ask about David San? He tried to learn to live with this for years and now this stupid FBI agent starts asking about David, Summer, his gang...everything he wanted to forget...screw the FBI!

"Let me explain."

"No, I won't let you explain. I don't care why you did this, I just wanted you to verify it."

"Are we done?"

"Only for today. There's an agent outside who will escort you to your cell. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir."

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**This was chapter one! Has there been a fanfic about this? I hope not...let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own The Mentalist and I don't make money with fanfictions.**

**This is chapter 2 of "Interrogation at the FBI" :**

The FBI agent who questioned Rigsby was even taller than he was.

"You are Wayne Rigsby?"

"Yes, sir."

"And the criminal Steven Rigsby was your father?"

_God...this again..._

"Yes he was. But I had nothing to do with his business and haven't had much contact with him until he died."

"What do you mean, 'until he died'? Was there a reason you were in contact with him shortly before he died?"

_Oh crap...I should have said something different...Now I have to retell that I killed the man who murdered my father and how Jane made it look like I shot him legally... _

"Look, I can explain...um..."

"I'm waiting."

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These were the 10 most uncomfortable minutes he ever had. Telling it all over again wasn't the most pleasant experience...

"Fine. That sounds as if you had no choice."

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, let's go on. You are married to Grace Van Pelt since this year?"

"Yes."

"We heard that the two of you had an affair although there was an anti-fraternization policy?"

"Yes we did, but we broke up when we were discovered by our boss Madeline Hightower. We moved on and -"

"I don't wanna hear anything about your feelings."

"Yes, of course..."

"That means Lisbon knew about this affair and didn't do anything?"

_Oh no...I can't do that. But...the CBI is shut down...being honest is always better._

"Grace and I told her. First, she said one of us had to leave the unit. That would have been Grace because she was a junior agent back then. Later she said that we could stay together if we acted normal in the office."

"We will be questioning her about this later."

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"Agent Cho said this CBI team is extremely loyal and that he would break the law for each of you. I suppose he didn't want to be so honest in the first place, but now I'm asking you: Would you do the same for them if you were still a team?"

_Don't say anything wrong now...Did Cho really say that?! Wow..._

"Yes, sir. I would."

"And DID you ever break the law? Consider well what you say."

"No, I didn't. Maybe some operations or plans we did to catch the killer have been close to the edge, but I didn't commit some kind of crime."

"Speaking of 'close to the edge': You knew about Cho's affair with Summer Edgecombe and didn't report it although it was against the rules. Didn't you say anything because he didn't report your affair with Van Pelt?"

"We are partners and friends, we stick together. That's loyality."

"Like many cops, you have a violent temper sometimes."

"So what? Um, I mean, no."

"You started a brawl with some FBI agents, together with Cho."

"The FBI agent started it, not Cho and me. And by the way, this agent was an associate of Red John."

"You didn't know this at that time."

"No, sir. We didn't."

"How come your team is so loyal to each other? Do you think there is a specific reason all of you would do anything to save each other?"

_I've never thought about the reason for our family-like team... But I think Jane is the reason we became a family. Obviously I can't say that..._

"I don't know, sir. It just happened over the years. When someone is in trouble, we help him. That's all." _Yeah, great answer...sounds like the slogan of a self-help group..._

"Furthermore, we heard that you have a son with another woman."

"What has this to do with the investigation?"

"Why did you break up and why are you married to Van Pelt now? You have a responsibility with a kid."

"My private life is completely unimportant here."

"I don't think so. I'm waiting for an answer."

"I'm married to Van Pelt because I love her. That's the reason for a marriage, I think. Sara broke up with me because she was angry at me after I faked my death in order to catch Red John. As you might know, this trick didn't really work. And I do have a responsibility for Ben. I can see him whenever I want to. But I still don't see why this matters now."

"The FBI is creating a profile from each of you. This means your personal life is important, too. Have you ever lied to another cop to cover up something or to protect someone? Or has someone else lied for you?"

_What am I gonna say now?_

"No, sir."

"You waited a second too long with your answer. You lied to me, right now."

Rigsby looked aside, stared at the wall and looked back to the agent.

Yesterday, when we questioned Cho the second time, he had to confess that he once said he spent an evening with you and your criminal father, who needed an alibi."

_What am I supposed to say? My father is dead, so this doesn't matter, does it? We 're all in custody, so I should tell the FBI everything. _

"Cho lied to our boss LaRoche for me. He didn't spent the evening with us. I was alone with my father, but family members don't count as an alibi, so I said Cho was with us."

"That's what he told us. Do you think LaRoche knew that Cho lied to him?"

"Yes, I think so, but he had to accept Cho's statement.

"The CBI seems to be an organization where everyone lies for everyone..."

"I heard the FBI isn't better !"

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"You may go back to your cell now. See you tomorrow for the second questioning."

"Yes, sir."

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**Please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own The Mentalist and I don't make money with fanfiction.**

**This is chapter three and will be about the interrogation of Van Pelt.**

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Van Pelt sat alone in the interrogation room and waited. She was angry. Angry on Jane; it was all his fault that she and the others were in this situation. He had just ran away like always, but somehow she was sure he would come back. At least for Lisbon...

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"Your name is Grace Van Pelt?"

_This FBI guy is kinda creepy..._

"Yes, sir."

"Your father is a football coach?"

"Yes, he is."

"Why did you to decide to become a cop in the first place?"

"I wanted to be a cop since I was a child. Helping people and catch bad guys is what I like about this job."

"And yet you're the computer genius of the team."

"I love technology! My job is to track people down and so on. We solved a lot of cases with my work. Are you saying that this is a bad job?!"_ This FBI agent is driving me nuts...why am I so stressed out these days?!_

"No, I'm not. This leads me to my next question: We heard from various sources that you're an impulsive person sometimes. For example there was an incident when you spilled hot coffee over a woman's desk because she couldn't help you with a case. Do you think this anger is somehow connected to your childhood or are there other reasons?"

"Damn, you are not my psychiatrist! And I spilled the coffee over her desk because she didn't WANT to help us. I thought this was a police interrogation and no talk about my childhood or some other problems!" She stood up.

"Sit down. This is what I mean, you are too impulsive. And I am in fact a psychiatrist. I'm allowed to do interrogations and the FBI told me I should talk to you. They think you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything." _Damn, this conversation is going the wrong way...I don't wanna talk about that coffee-incident. I was just stressed back then and in a bad mood...It was even hard not to tell Lisbon when she asked me if something was wrong..._

"You seem distracted, Grace."

"Why are you calling me by my first name?! You don't know me and I'm not your friend."

"I'm the one who makes the rules here. Tell me about your childhood and your feelings in general right now."

"I had a great childhood, I grew up with horses and Dad always said 'Life is like football'."

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After talking about her childhood for 20 minutes, Van Pelt hoped she would have made the psychiatrist believe she had nothing to hide and was glad when he said they were done with this topic.

"So. Back to your personality."

_Noooo, why is he doing this?! Worse than Jane... He had been a better listener than this creepy FBI guy...and I have always been a little bit attracted to Jane, even if I would never confess it. Rigsby was better. And Jane was Lisbon's, everybody knew that... _

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"Alright, what do you wanna know?"

Tell me about the reason why your team was so family-like."

"Um...I guess it's because we would do everything for each other. Just like a real family. We care about each other. But we never had a real dispute within the unit. Only little arguments, but nothing serious. We trust each other, no matter what comes. _Yeah, right. Only with Jane, we and especially Lisbon had some trust issues...but this stupid psychiatrist-investigator doesn't need to know that...Like I would tell him everything. I just hope the others told him the same as I did...otherwise, I'll have a problem..._

"I sense anger while you're talking, Grace."

"Don't call me Grace!"

"I decide what I do. What's on your mind?"

Van Pelt couldn't stand it any longer, she burst out: "You wanna know what's on my mind?! I just lost my CBI family! My best friends! The FBI shut us down and I don't know what to do! I loved this job! Of course I'm glad Red John is dead and everyone of us knew that this would change a lot. But I just can't understand why WE are in custody. We did nothing wrong. Your unit thinks we're all criminals just because our boss was one."

"It makes sense."

She didn't let him finish. "No it doesn't!"  
"Grace."

"DON'T!"

"You have been surrounded by bad people all your life. You were engaged to a mole of Red John and -"

"How was I supposed to know that?! I shot him!"

"See. This is what I mean. You are too emotional. You try to show everyone that you're cool and well organized, but there's an ocean of unresolved feelings inside."

"An 'ocean of feelings'? I'm so glad I don't have your job..."

"There is no need to insult me. If you don't calm down, you're gonna see me regularly."

_I certainly don't want that..._

"Alright, got it." _Wasn't that what I told Lisbon when she said I shouldn't spill coffee over desks?!_

"So. let's move on. Have you ever committed a crime or broke the law?"  
"No, sir." _What kinda stupid question is that? I'm a cop, I can't break the law...Never mind, stay calm..._

"You have a number of complaints about yourself in your file. Let's stick to the day of the coffee-incident."

"May I ask, why is this so important?"  
"I can't tell you."

"You had two complaints within the space of an hour. What happened in your life back then?"

"Do I really have to answer this?"

"You have to answer every question I ask you."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Ok. I had trouble at home with the landlord of my apartment and was annoyed that I didn't have warm water for 6 weeks. And I was frustrated by the case we had, because nobody seemed to care about a dead girl, not even the juvenile office. I care for kids who don't have a home."  
"I don't believe the part with the warm water. Nobody beats up someone because he doesn't have warm water at home. I knew you're hiding something."

"Listen. I can't tell you."

"Alright then. Go back to your cell. We'll have another meeting tomorrow and I promise that I'm not gonna give up until I found out what you are hiding from everyone."

_Well done, Grace. You just got yourself a shrink because you can't talk about your past...well done...I'm such an idiot. _

"Yes, sir."

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**Please read and review!**

**Thanks for the reviews I already got!**

**I'm posting in the middle of the night because I'm waiting for The Mentalist to come online...**

**I'll post the next chapter in 2 (!) weeks because I don't think I'll have time to write until then.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter will describe Lisbon's interrogation. I don't own The Mentalist and I don't make money with fanfiction. Sorry it took me so long to upload this, please read and review!**

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Lisbon had hit the jackpot. She was questioned by Dennis Abbott himself.

_Great. I don't like this guy, I'm afraid of what he will find out about me and I don't wanna talk with him about Jane...God, Jane...I already miss you..._

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"Listen to me. Your former colleagues have been questioned for 2 days, but I think we'll get through this in only 1 day."

"But that means I don't get a break."

"Don't interrupt me. I'm the one who leads this interrogation."

Damn, this man could make her blush only with his authority. She looked down to the table and said silently "I'm sorry, sir.".

"You look at me when I talk to you, Lisbon."

Oh, how she hated it not to be addressed as 'Agent' Lisbon anymore.

"Yes, sir. Of course."

"So. Let's get started. Your name is Teresa Lisbon?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Tell me why you wanted to become a cop."

She really didn't want to talk about these reasons...It brought back memories from her past and she didn't want to think about this now...

"Um, well. I wanted to become a cop to catch bad guys and help good people."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"I'm asking the questions here."

"My childhood wasn't the best. I have three younger brothers and when my mom died in a car accident, my dad became an alcoholic, too. So I had to take care of my brothers and was, with 12 years, the mother of the family."

"Ah, just what your file says."

"Wait, you know this but you ask me about it anyway?"

"The FBI creates a profile from each of you and it's important for us that you are honest. Your former team members all told us that the team was more like a family and that everyone is extremely loyal. Where do you think this comes from?"

_It's Jane. My team grew together as a family because of him. I can't really describe it, but it's definitely because of what Jane added to us all these years...and why the hell does this fucking Abbott always say 'your former team members' ?! I know the CBI doesn't exist anymore but it's still hurting to be reminded of this everyday... _

"I think we are a family because we went through so much crap together, the hunt for Red John, the people we lost..._Am I referring to Bosco?! _...and...well, whatever."

"What I wanted to ask you about next is the way you handled the private lives of your agents."

_Crap...I think I know what's coming now..._

"You didn't do anything about the affair of Grace Van Pelt and Wayne Rigsby when -"

"Hey. This is not fair. They are married now and the CBI is shut down."

"Didn't I tell you not to interrupt me?"

"Hmhm..."

"My point is you knew it was against the rules."

"So what?! This doesn't matter now!"

"Although we questioned the others about that, I want you to tell me your point of view."

"Ok, I didn't report this because they're my friends. At first I thought one of them would have to leave the unit, which would have been Van Pelt. I didn't want to do that, but it was my job. Then I decided that they could stay together if they act normal in the office, although the whole CBI knew about their affair. When we got a new boss, Madeline Hightower, she found out about this and asked me why I didn't report it. After that, Rigsby and Van Pelt broke off because they both wanted to keep their jobs."

"And did you know about the affair between Cho and his CI Summer Edgecombe?"

"What?! ...well, now I think about it I suspected it but I never had any real proof and besides, Cho never really talks about his private life."

"So do you."

"Hu? What do you mean?"

"We heard you were forced to go to a shrink some years ago. Why?"

"...I, um, ..."

"I'm waiting, Lisbon. Remember, this is will be a long day, I have time."

"Fine. Jane saved my life and it's been procedure that we had to talk about shootings with a psychiatrist so that he could make sure we were mentally stable."_ Do I seriously have to talk about that?! And why is the FBI interrogating me at last? This man is driving me insane...he speaks like a priest. Calm, slow and too sure of himself._

"But by the way, Dr. Carmen didn't sign off on me because he framed me for a murder he committed. I almost went to prison."

"Yeah, we heard that."

"I just don't understand why you're asking me something you already heard from my team."

"They are not your team any longer."

_God, I know..._ "Yes, sir, I am aware of that."

"As I told you, the FBI is creating a profile. We are questioning you at last because we need to verify the other statements. You were their boss and now we'll find out whether you have been a good, reliable boss. You -"

Again, Lisbon didn't let Abbott finish, although she knew this was the worst idea in the world.

"Excuse me?!" _How does this guy dare saying that?_

He glared at her and raised an eyebrow to show her that she should never _ever _cut him off again.

"You are lucky your statements fit to what the others said, which proofs your honesty."

_Oh damn it, why the hell did I interrupt him? He was gonna say something positive and I'm as snappy as always when I'm annoyed..._

"Let's go on. My colleagues asked your former team if they ever committed a crime. Of course everybody denied this. But I am not only asking you about crimes. I'm asking if you ever did anything questionable. A good cop needs to have a clean file."

"Wait, are you saying that I'm not a good cop just because I -" _Oh no. What did I do? He clearly intended to make me freak out like this..._

"Yeah? What were you saying?"

"Nothing."

"I assure you, Lisbon. It's not a good idea to lie to me."

She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. She had been afraid of this conversation; not knowing what would happen if she told him about these ten years with Jane and what she did to help him. But these weren't the only questionable things she had done. When Bosco was her supervisor, she had done far worse than only lying for someone or punching suspects. Lisbon breathed out and decided that she would tell him only what he needed to know.

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This interrogation was like torture; Lisbon knew she was a bad liar but did her best to hide everything what was absolutely private and dangerous to tell the FBI. Several hours later, it was even harder to stay calm.

"Could we make a break? I'm so tired..."

"No."

"Pleeaasee!" She had never planned on begging this guy for anything...too bad he seemed to be even tougher than Cho...

"I said we are doing this in one day. I don't care if you are tired or whatever. You won't get a break, even if we need 24 hours for this interrogation. As long as I am awake, I'll question you."

She felt a headache coming, sighed and looked aside.

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"Strange that you ask for a break right now, when I was just about to start with the second part. This is the part about Jane. On the second day, your former colleagues have been questioned about him and where they think he could be."

Could this day become more terrible? Yes, it could...She had been wondering when Abbott would ask her about Jane...Now she would spend the rest of this day answering questions about him and had to be careful what she told Abbott...

"So, at first, explain the nature of your relationship to Patrick Jane."

Lisbon's heart skipped several beats and she felt like she couldn't breath. _What the hell shall I tell him?! I obviously can't say what I feel...Let's stick to the 'best friend' story..._

"Jane is, well...was my best friend. Our friendship developed over the ten years we worked together. Sometimes he really drove me mad because I was his boss and therefore responsible for him and had to clear up the mess he caused, but after a while, I got used to this and I think I'm the only one who really knows how to handle him. Up to a point, I understand his problems and defended him even when he didn't deserve it. I and the rest of the team always were there for him and in return, he was there for us." _Yeah...keep telling yourself that...you were stupid enough to forgive him everything. No normal woman would forgive a man what Jane did to you. He told you he would be there for you, but instead, he hurt you, broke your heart more than once, ran away and had a relationship with Lorelai..._

"Were you ever involved with him?"

Once again, she answered "Excuse me?!" Why did everybody think Jane and her had been 'involved' with each other? Of course she knew there had been rumors in the office, but he wouldn't have ran away from her like this if he loved her, too.

"I asked you a simple yes or no question."

"No, we weren't."

"Do you have any knowledge where he could be now?"

"No, sir."_ I can't believe I'm calling him 'sir'... _

"Did you help him escape from the US and hide somewhere?"

"What makes you think he isn't in the US?"

"That's none of your business."

"No, I didn't help him and I truly don't know where he is."

"Take a guess."

"I. Don't. Know."

"You are not very patient, are you?"

Lisbon raised an angry eyebrow at him. "No, I'm not. What's your point?"

"You do remember that I am the one who asks the questions?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry." _No, I'm not sorry, damn it!_

"Back to your boyfriend Jane. When you told him to take your car that day, this was obstruction of justice. You can't give your car to someone who uses it to drive to a location where he is going to murder someone. Why didn't you stop him from killing Red John?"

"Do you think I never tried to stop him? But when the time came, I realized that Red John needed to be killed for what he had done. Not only to Jane, but to everybody else...and as I told you before, Jane is not my boyfriend."_ No, he is the love of my life._

"You are confessing that you knew what he was about to do and didn't do anything against it?"

"Yes. Red John got what he deserved and I am not sorry about his death. I would have never thought I would say that, but sometimes, vengeance is the only possible way." _Wow, Jane would be proud of me..._

"Interesting. You and your former team members don't seem so talkative when it comes to Jane."

_Oh I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps quiet about my feelings and some of our (or Jane's?) not-by-the-book-actions..._

Again, she dared to ask Abbott something: "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are covering something up."

"Oh really? You're mistaken!" she snapped back.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to be disrespectful to an FBI agent?" he asked calmly.

This was enough, Lisbon decided not to answer any of Abbott's questions from now on, although she knew that this was the behaviour of a stubborn child.

Abbott saw that she was terribly tired, sad, refusing to say anything and, to her embarrassment, close to tears. Most likely tears of anger...he had her where he wanted to have her.

"This is a way to make suspects talk, you know? Well, I think you do..Not saying a word and only looking at the opposite person. It takes time, but in the end, you get a confession. Now that I know you're not the most patient person, I assume _you _never got a confession with this method."

Lisbon crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look through him, but it didn't work. She hated the way Abbott teased her, it wasn't how Jane did that with her, it was more like he waited for her to lose her self control and spill everything out she knew and give in. But she didn't want to give him this pleasure, she had a plan. She planned on saying nothing more until he had to send her back to her cell where she could sleep for a few hours and think about what she could answer. Tomorrow she would have regained her patience and her calmness._ 'Cool and calm..that's me' I said once, but now I'm the complete opposite..._

It turned out that her plan didn't go exactly as Lisbon hoped. One hour later, she was still staring at the wall behind Abbott's eyes and thought she would fall asleep any moment. He didn't seem as if he would make the firsts step. Apparently, he didn't need much sleep.

"Fine, what was your last question, sir?" Lisbon stifled a yawn.

Abbott smiled at her, happy about his victory. "Oh, I don't have more questions, I just wanted to know how long you could keep your eyes open until you fall asleep on the table. You may go to your cell now."

"Yes, sir."

_I cannot understand why we're all in single cells..._Lisbon lay on the uncomfortable cell bed and thought _'Never mind, We are gonna get out of here soon and hopefully I will never see this man again...'_ before she drifted into sleep and dreamed about Jane, who seemed to be gone forever.

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**Thanks for reading! This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I have an idea for an epilogue. Should I let the story end here or write this epilogue? Please tell me what you think! By the way, I hope my English isn't that bad...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for your reviews! **

**I don't own The Mentalist and I don't make money with fanfictions. **

**This is chapter 5 (epilogue) :**

**xxxxx**

18 months later, they had new jobs: Lisbon was a small town police chief and Grace and Wayne had their own little IT-crimes detective agency. But she didn't know what Cho did, she hadn't heard anything of him after they were done with these uncomfortable FBI interrogations. She still was in contact with the Rigsbys (it sounded weird to her that Grace was 'Mrs. Rigsby'...) and met with them regularly for dinner. Lately, their first daughter Maddy was born, which made Lisbon a little sad because she didn't see any possibility for her to have kids. She had had a relationship with someone, but she had never been truly happy with him. The first 6 months after Jane disappeared had been very hard for Lisbon because she was unemployed and needed to find a new job as soon as possible, which wasn't easy because of her record. After all, it was common knowledge in the whole State of California that she had been involved in the Red John case and how it ended. She had to move to Washington where nobody knew who she was so that she could build up a new life. In these 6 months, Lisbon started to drink again. She almost became an alcoholic because she was so damn depressed.

When she went home from the FBI, she decided to stay at home for a few weeks and think about what her life would be like from now on, but she couldn't imagine a life without Jane. Her life was a mess, she was only a shadow of herself those days; laying on her couch, next to her some pizza cartons and bottles of beer, tequila and red vine.

xxxxx

_I never wanted to become like my dad, but now I'm drinking all day because I can't bear the loss of someone I love..._

She had started writing a diary lately.

_I have several reasons for crying, I'm sad, angry, still kind of hopeful and sometimes even a little bit happy...sad because I think I'm not gonna see him again. He's gone forever this time, not coming back...I'm angry with him for running away, being a coward and playing with my feelings. Oh yes, he knew I had feelings for him. Angry with myself for forgiving him too many times and not being able to let go. I'm hopeful because there's always a chance he might change his mind and come back to me. I don't know why, but sometimes I'm happy because this weird decade is over and I can start a new life..._

_Really, Teresa? You always talk about a new life but you're at home all day and do nothing to change your situation!_

The next morning, Lisbon said to herself: _Enough self pity! You'll take care of yourself now and move away from here! _

After three months, Pete and Sam stood in front of her door and handed her the first letter from Jane.

Xxxxx

**flashback:**

"Hey! Nice to see you! How did you find out where I live now?"

"You really don't wanna know that, Pepper." said Pete and gave her a mysterious letter.

"What's that?"

"A letter from Jane. He reached out to us and told us to deliver his letters to you because it's safer that way."

All Lisbon could her was 'Jane'. Could that be true? After months, he decided to write her letters? How cute was that?!

"Well, thanks! See you soon, I hope."

She closed the door, ran to the couch and eagerly opened the envelope to read what Jane wanted to tell her. After this day, she received a letter every week and couldn't decide whether she should forgive Jane and be grateful that he wrote to her or whether she should hate him for not leaving her alone once and for all.

xxxxx

**A few months later:**

Lisbon hadn't told Grace or Wayne about these letters, because Jane wrote that only she, Sam and Pete should know he was still alive and had a new life. Obviously, he was still scared that the FBI could find him. He didn't tell her where he lived but she guessed he was somewhere in South America because of the shells he sent her and the nature he described. What he wrote made her both happy and sad at the same time. Lisbon envied him because he had a life in paradise whereas she lived in Washington and had a boring police chief job. She dealt with bicycle thieves and stuff like that... Lisbon had told the Rigsbys that she liked this job but actually, she still missed the CBI. They didn't miss it because they were too busy with their own detective agency and their two kids.

Jane's letters were very personal and emotional, she guessed that he needed the distance to realize.._.Yeah? What? Realize what, Teresa? Don't tell yourself he would love you..._

He wrote that he missed her and that his new life would be perfect if she was with him._ Isn't that proof ? If he misses me so much, why did he disappear again? He could at least have taken me with him..._

She was doing boring paperwork when her assistant said that a Dennis Abbott would want to talk to her. _Abbott? Damn it, not him again!_

The FBI had a search warrant for her house because Abbott had found the shells on Lisbon's desk and immediately realized they must be from Jane. When they found the box where she kept his letters she had to come with them again.

xxxxx

"You seriously told me you were never involved with each other. That's hard to believe after reading those letters."

"Sir, I assure you, we were just friends!"

And then he did something she hoped he would spare her: he read some excerpts out aloud to her.

"'Dear Teresa, you'd like the nights here, almost every night starlit and warm, just like your eyes...' shall I go on? You can't tell me he wasn't interested in you."

Lisbon knew she looked like an ashamed tomato, if that was even possible...

"Yes, maybe he was interested but why would that matter now? I don't know where Jane is."

"Who delivers you these letters?"

"It comes in the mail."_ Oh that's a bad lie...as if the FBI hadn't checked that..._

"No, it doesn't. We believe the person who delivers the letters to you is someone Jane knows from his past and trusts. Now you are gonna tell me who that one is or we'll take you in custody again."

She told him everything; when the first letter came, that Pete and Sam brought her these letters, who they were and so on. After all, it was another long, embarrassing day at the FBI. She hated those days...

xxxxx

**2 years later:**

Jane was back. Lisbon forgave him again, and she knew she would forgive him anything, whatever it was or how long he would be gone.

_This time I'm gonna make the first step, and in case Jane runs away, I'll hunt him to the end of the world and I won't let him escape from me. Never again._

**xxxxx**

**The epilogue was longer than I intended and the end isn't the best :) tell me what you think!**


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